Who Says Fairytales Aren't Real?
by Austen's Girl
Summary: Life didn't always have to be so real, sometimes you can actually get what you want. My thoughts on what happened after Regionals.


"I love you". It had come tumbling out of his mouth faster than his brain could process the thought, but her smile afterward, and that shy look she gave was a little reassuring. But that had been hours ago, and she hadn't really spoken to him since, and he wasn't sure what was supposed to happen, he wasn't even sure he knew what he wanted to happen. That was the problem with verbal diarrhea it kinda just snuck up on you.

Usually with her, though, it wasn't such a big deal, because she was the one who couldn't shut up, but the fact that she was barely looking at him let alone speaking to him, was incredibly un-nerving. He figured that after she had launched herself into his arms after their performance was a good sign, but like he said that was hours ago.

Now he's just sitting across from her on a bus that smells faintly of sweat and defeat, staring at her as she looks out her window without any real expression on her face, and he wishes she would just look at him.

So he continues to stare.

Hoping that she can somehow sense his urgency, feel his eyes on her, but he's starting to wonder if that wasn't just something that happens in the movies, which makes him a little sad, because he kinda wishes (no, he kinda thinks) they had that kind of connection.

He's well aware that he's been a complete ass to her this entire year and that he really wouldn't be able to blame her if she chose to walk away from him, he's just not really sure what he would do.

So he continues to stare.

And she continues to look out her window, and he's kinda getting the feeling she's doing it on purpose, because she doesn't want to look at him.

It makes him kinda feel like crying. Though he won't (that's a sure fire way to get slushied, and really he's not a pansy, he's not, it's just, well, it's just that he really does love her, and it's kinda killing him right now).

So he continues to stare.

His eyes don't waver, and when the bus finally pulls up to their school and she gets off the bus without even a glance in his direction, he's positive she's ignoring him.

So he runs.

"Rachel!" She doesn't turn around, but he's well aware of her hastened step.

"Rachel! Please…" She stops, but she doesn't urn around, he takes this as a small victory, and jogs until he's in front of her.

"Rachel…" His words get lost as she finally looks at him, really looks at him, and her eyes are big, bigger than usual, and they're missing their trademark sparkle and it kinda breaks his heart a bit, because he knows he's at least partly to blame for it.

"Finn?" She looks confused now, and he knows he's taking a lot longer to respond then normal, and for him that's slow to begin with.

"Rachel, about before…" She puts her hands up to stop him before he can even begin to say what he wants to.

"Finn please. I'm tired and I just want to go home. I can't take anymore today." She looks like she's going to cry at any moment, which makes him kinda wanna cry too. She tries walking away then, but he's taller, broader, and he's in front of her again before she can even blink.

"Finn…" Her voice breaks, and he knows if he doesn't tell her soon they're both going to break.

So he goes for broke.

"Rachel, please you've just gotta hear this, hear me out." She'sshaking her head but she doesn't interrupt so he forges on.

"I love you." Again it just tumbles out, but this time there is no smile, this time she just shakes her head harder.

"Finn, stop." She almost looks angry, and he can't quite figure out why, because as far as he knows those three words are supposed to be every girls dream.

So he stares again, hoping she'll be the one to elaborate this time. She does.

"Finn we can't…I can't do this. I…we don't work, I don't think we ever did." She is crying now and the impact of her words is making his eyes feel a lot more watery than usual.

"Rach, you don't really believe that do you?" It comes out as almost a whisper and he looks at her and sees just how broken she really is. Her tiny frame is shaking and it really makes him wanna wrap her up in his arms, but he doesn't because he knows her well enough to know that just because she's tiny doesn't mean she's weak.

"I do." And that was it, his heart was smashed, who knew words could be so powerful. He's lost as to how to stop the onslaught of tears that are pushing their way to the surface, so he doesn't even try. He's really not sure what to say or what to do now.

So he stares.

This time though, she stares back, and he can see every emotion she's feeling come pouring out her gorgeous brown eyes.

He sees it all, sadness, longing, fear, and love. It makes his tears fall harder, faster, because he knows she feels the same way, she just can't let go of before. Before he removed his head from his ass, before she realized Jesse didn't really want her…just…before.

"Rachel, I can't just walk away, not again."

"Finn, we've tried this before. You didn't wan me then, so why should I believe you want me now?" She was crying now, and he can't wrap his head around what she just said because it's not true, he's always wanted her, he just didn't know how to handle it.

He doesn't realize he's said that out loud until she's looking at him so intently, he's pretty sure she's seeing right through him.

"Do you really mean that?" She's talking in a voice that's so uncharacteristically quiet he thinks his heart is going to explode.

"Of course I mean it. I've never felt like Rachel, and I know I've screwed up before, and I hurt you and all that. But that was before and this is now and I…I…I-I-I-I love you. And I'm sorry, gosh you have no idea how sorry I am." He doesn't even realize there are tears running down his face until she's brushing them away with hands he didn't realize could be so soft. He's totally unsure of what to do again.

So he stares.

But this time she stares back, and she gives him the sweetest smile. It's not her normal Rachel Berry smile, but the thinks that somehow this one is better. This one is just for him.

It takes him a moment to register she's talking, and he sure as hell doesn't want to miss what she has to say, not now, not ever.

"I…um.: She smiles again and he can feel his heart swell a little at the fact that he has rendered the almighty Rachel Berry a little speechless. She takes his hand before she starts to speak again and the sparks that that simple touch elicits is enough to make him almost forget she was trying to say something.

"Finn…" She tries again, and he can see how hard this is for her, so he smiles at her this time, and squeezes her ridiculously tiny hand just a little, just to let her know its okay.

This seems to work because before he knows it she's talking at warp speed, and it's almost hurting his head to keep up, but he does because he knows it's worth it, she's worth it.

"Finn I know that this year has been a lot to handle. For both of us. When everything went down with Quinn I didn't think, not once, that you wouldn't want to be with me, I just assumed that once you were free we would just end up together. It took you breaking my heart to realize that we weren't a fairytale. Please don't look at me like that, it's not supposed to a bad thing, it just means this is real, and believe me Finn that's a good thing. I know that when I was with Jesse it hurt you, and if I'm being perfectly honest, that was part of the attraction, and it was wrong of me to use him and you like that, so for that I am truly sorry. But Finn? Through all of that there was something I as always sure of, and that was that I loved you. I do love you Finn, that has never changed, and I'm pretty sure it will never change." She was looking at him so openly he almost had to look away. But when his brain finally caught up with her words, and their message was fully sent he did the only thing he could think of.

He kissed her.

He threw everything he had into that kiss, and he knew she had too, from the frantic way she was clutching to the front of his shirt, to the way his hands seemed to get lost in her ridiculously soft hair, to the delicious way his mouth was devouring hers. It was all too perfect and when they finally pulled apart and she smiled that ridiculous smile at him he knew this was it, this was their happily ever after.

Who said fairytales weren't real?


End file.
